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Somalia continues to grapple with overlapping humanitarian crises, including conflict, drought, and mass displacement, leaving millions in urgent need of assistance. In response, the Somalia Humanitarian Country Team endorsed the establishment of the Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) Working Group in February 2024. Chaired by the Somalia Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA), with Save the Children as co-chair and UN Women Somalia as secretariat, the group is tasked with ensuring that gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls remain central to humanitarian response efforts.
Since its inception, the GiHA Working Group has worked closely with Women-Led Organizations (WLOs) and Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs) to amplify women’s voices in humanitarian decision-making. On 6 September 2025, the group held a coordination meeting at SoDMA headquarters in Mogadishu, with a dedicated agenda on strengthening the role of WLOs in humanitarian action. The session highlighted the importance of inclusive leadership and greater collaboration among actors to ensure that humanitarian response reflects the diverse needs of affected communities.
Opening the meeting, SoDMA Commissioner Mohamud Moallim stressed the urgency of mobilizing local solutions to Somalia’s humanitarian challenges. “We must confront donor fatigue in Somalia by finding local solutions. It is essential to mobilize our own resources, including the private sector, diaspora, and non-traditional donors. Women-led organizations must be central to coordination and decision-making,” he said. UN Women Somalia’s Country Program Manager, Ms. Rukaya, emphasized the need for stronger representation of WLOs and WROs in humanitarian clusters and leadership roles. “WLOs and WROs are a strong revolution in humanitarian action. Our efforts and power should be joined to fight for space in this changing environment and to survive,” she remarked. The Director of the NGO Consortium, Ms. Naima, echoed this call, urging organizations to use evidence-based data to influence decisions. “This gathering is a demonstration of our shared commitment. But we must go beyond meetings; we need to influence decision-making with evidence-based data and advocacy,” she said.
Following presentations by SoDMA and the GiHA Working Group, both highlighted the worsening humanitarian situation affecting the most vulnerable women and girls and underscored the urgent need to strengthen local leadership and capacity in driving effective and inclusive humanitarian responses. The discussions stressed that without meaningful engagement of Women-Led and Women’s Rights Organizations (WLOs/WROs), humanitarian action risks overlooking critical community perspectives. By positioning WLOs/WROs as central actors, Somalia can build more resilient, localized, and sustainable responses that not only meet immediate needs but also empower women as leaders in shaping long-term solutions.
Participants emphasized the importance of advancing the localization agenda by strengthening Women-Led and Women’s Rights Organizations (WLOs/WROs) and bringing their leadership and connectivity to the forefront. They highlighted the need for a unified vision that can sustain women’s voices and influence in an increasingly competitive humanitarian environment, where funding is shrinking and humanitarian priorities continue to evolve.
Zahra Mohamed Ahmad, Chairwoman of the Africa Women Leaders Network Somalia Chapter, said: “We often talk about the localization agenda, but if we are truly committed, we must come up with strategic and dedicated actions to shift power. WLOs and WROs must stand united with a shared vision so that women’s leadership is not sidelined but placed at the center of shaping humanitarian priorities.”
Shukria Dini, Executive Director of the Somali Women Studies Centre (SWSC), said: “As the humanitarian landscape grows more competitive, women-led organizations cannot afford to work in isolation. Building stronger connections and advocating collectively is the only way to ensure our leadership is recognized, our priorities are reflected, and our voices remain indispensable in the future of humanitarian action.”
In conclusion, the discussions reaffirmed GiHA’s role as a national hub for empowering WLOs and WROs, with clear commitments to expand women’s access to funding, strengthen institutional capacity, and ensure regular coordination at the national level. GiHA also pledged to support the competitiveness and collective voice of women-led organizations in a challenging humanitarian landscape through united and visionary mechanisms that amplify their voices within the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT).
At the same time, participants emphasized the expectations of WLOs and WROs to take a proactive role in shaping humanitarian action by uniting under a shared vision, engaging more actively in leadership and decision-making spaces, and using evidence-based advocacy to influence policies and priorities. These mutual commitments and expectations reflect a joint determination to place women’s leadership at the center of inclusive, localized, and sustainable humanitarian responses in Somalia.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN Women – Africa.